A decade ago, the United Kingdom pulled off the profoundly counterproductive feat of quitting the European Union in a narrow vote whose results surprised even its proponents.
I take what Stéphane Dion says very seriously, and part of his argument is echoed by Keith Williams. A strategic partnership with the EU, through the European Political Community, is our path to integration with the values and goals of the EU without tying us into their bureaucracy. By aligning some of our laws with theirs, they can backstop us in dealings with the United States that is out to destabilize us so that it can, as John Turner said, dominate us rather than be our partners, as Mulroney fantasized. We have to remember the Mulroney times - almost everyone to the left of him, even a little bit, was against free trade, except for Quebec, which embraced it wholeheartedly. Chretien's expanding it to Mexico became the death-knell of domestic economic sovereignty.
I don't think we should join the EU, I would definitely vote against that. We may be the most European of non-European countries, but we are not Europeans. We already have 3 or 4 levels of government, we do not need the bureaucrats in Brussels making decisions for us, nor should we want the European central bank controlling our money. The EU has a lot of good things as you mentioned, especially the GDPR that we could adopt, but that is how we should go about the things that we like about them, adopt them, not join them.
On the other hand, now that the "stealth" F-35 has proven to be not so stealthy, we should definitely add Gripens to our shopping list. People mention the cost difference between them, and the price of an hour's flying time. But when calculating the purchase price, no one seems to take into account that it takes 5 F-35s (30% availability) to match the availability of 2 Saabs (70% availability).
I use an android phone made in Vietnam by a South Korean company, and when I read your emailed posts, I use MS Outlook, both on the computer (made in China, (4"x4"x1.5") and on my phone. I don't like Microsoft, but I despise Google almost as much as I do Apple, so I am going to avoid the two of them as much as possible.
I take what Stéphane Dion says very seriously, and part of his argument is echoed by Keith Williams. A strategic partnership with the EU, through the European Political Community, is our path to integration with the values and goals of the EU without tying us into their bureaucracy. By aligning some of our laws with theirs, they can backstop us in dealings with the United States that is out to destabilize us so that it can, as John Turner said, dominate us rather than be our partners, as Mulroney fantasized. We have to remember the Mulroney times - almost everyone to the left of him, even a little bit, was against free trade, except for Quebec, which embraced it wholeheartedly. Chretien's expanding it to Mexico became the death-knell of domestic economic sovereignty.
I don't think we should join the EU, I would definitely vote against that. We may be the most European of non-European countries, but we are not Europeans. We already have 3 or 4 levels of government, we do not need the bureaucrats in Brussels making decisions for us, nor should we want the European central bank controlling our money. The EU has a lot of good things as you mentioned, especially the GDPR that we could adopt, but that is how we should go about the things that we like about them, adopt them, not join them.
On the other hand, now that the "stealth" F-35 has proven to be not so stealthy, we should definitely add Gripens to our shopping list. People mention the cost difference between them, and the price of an hour's flying time. But when calculating the purchase price, no one seems to take into account that it takes 5 F-35s (30% availability) to match the availability of 2 Saabs (70% availability).
I use an android phone made in Vietnam by a South Korean company, and when I read your emailed posts, I use MS Outlook, both on the computer (made in China, (4"x4"x1.5") and on my phone. I don't like Microsoft, but I despise Google almost as much as I do Apple, so I am going to avoid the two of them as much as possible.
A positive way forward. Thank you , David.